MedRed Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 fixture was out for delivery at 4:58 am this morning and the UPS facility is like 5 miles away. WTF? Link to comment
_Mitch_ Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 fixture was out for delivery at 4:58 am this morning and the UPS facility is like 5 miles away. WTF? Same thing happens to me. My post office is 5 minutes from my house, yet it takes them 12+ hours to get the package to my door. Anyways, I can't wait to see the tank with the new light! Link to comment
Paigee Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Maybe they start their deliveries furthest away from the UPS centre and move closer? Bummer that it hasn't come yet And also.. Giessemann fixture Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Same thing happens to me. My post office is 5 minutes from my house, yet it takes them 12+ hours to get the package to my door. Anyways, I can't wait to see the tank with the new light! Maybe they start their deliveries furthest away from the UPS centre and move closer? Bummer that it hasn't come yet And also.. Giessemann fixture It's here!!!!!!! Link to comment
d'Espresso Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Let us see it! Where did u purchase the fixture at? I was about to get one too on my next new project. Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Let us see it! Where did u purchase the fixture at? I was about to get one too on my next new project. I probably won't be able to take pictures until this weekend. I bought it used on Reef Central. ha ha... i'm happy and sad at the same time. Link to comment
Paigee Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I was at my LFS today and was talking to the guy about upgrading and lighting and stuff, and I mentioned that some people on the forum I'm on were switching back to T5 from LED and he was blown away. He couldn't believe it But to each his own, and I think everyone needs to judge for their own tank what's best. Can't wait to see the tank under the new fixture! Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 The fixture arrived late Monday evening. My first impressions? WOW! It’s just exudes sexiness. The fixture is painted with high quality paint like you’d fine on a car (complete with metallic flecks and all). I flipped it over and it gathered and reflected the light from the overhead fixtures (very soft lighting). I opened it up, installed new bulbs, and turned it on… The ATI T5’s were pretty bright on their own. The hanging kit was missing from the package, so I removed the AI railing that has seen three fixtures (Sol Blues, Radions, and Aqua Medic pendant). I then hung the light from the existing AI wires. The light is centered, but I’ll need to re drill new holes to get the cables straight. I really like that the anchors for the fixture can be slid all along the length of the fixture, so as long as the suspension cables aren’t set wider than the fixture (as they are now), you can slide the anchors to make the cables straight. I also like that it is super easy to slide the halide component left and right for perfect positioning. The bad? I arranged my new bulbs front to back Blue+, Coral+, Purple+, Blue+. They seemed fine when lit by themselves, but when the halide is on, the tank is whiter than I liked. It’s funny, because the halide is fine when it’s on by itself. I pulled the Coral+ and went with a new configuration: Blue+, Purple+, Blue+, Blue+. It looks much better. I was dreading that I’d end up buying a billion different bulbs until I found a combination I liked… I’ve been down that road in my FW days. Now for the really bad… I feel like I’ve gone back to the stone age. I had to buy 2 more power strips to fit the 3 bulky digital timers that I bought. I really miss using the AI’s controller and dialing in exact settings with minimal wires and fuss. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to get a controller. I’d pony up for one now, but I hear the apex may be coming out with a new model, and I’d like to check out the Vertex Cerebra. I imagine it will try and steal the premium controller market from the Profilux. I also really miss my lunar cycle. Why can’t someone make a nice LED cluster that can be dimmed and follow a lunar cycle? Right now I’m running a pretty long day. I start at 7 am with the 2 Blue+ in the rear. I add in the Blue+/Purple+ in the front at 9 am and the halide at 10 am. The halide shuts off at 6 pm, the Blue+/Purple+ at 7 pm, and the 2 Blue+ at 10 pm. I’ll dial it back if I start to have any issues. More bad news? I noticed a couple of my corals were starting to brown… I was panicked it was the lights, even though that didn’t make sense. Alk test? 5.7 dkh. I had a pretty sizeable alk swing as my alk had been disconnected from the auto doser for some time, and I’ve been doing water changes every other week so I’ve not been replenishing a darn thing. When it happened and how I don’t know. I’ll be spending the next week getting things back in line with 10 gallon water changes every day. All in all it was a good change, but I’m sad for the LED features that I’m missing. I have also noticed an uptick in temperature that is partly due to the lights and partly from the 3/8” acrylic sump retaining heat that would escape from the previous thin glass sump. I’m going to try a small fan over the sump. A BIG change in the tank is my BSJ has now excavating under the rocks. This happened a day or two after I added the makeshift halide. I don’t know if the tank is too bright, the light is too hot on his skin, or the lack of lighting at night scares him, but he’s now going back to being a traditional BSJ. If I have to start spot feeding him, I’m going to scream. Lol. My plate likes to hang out right in front of where the BSJ has built an entrance to the tunnel. I’ve had to unbury him a few times. Last night the BSJ dragged the plate into the tunnel. Grrr. Link to comment
Spirofucci Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Hope you didn't toss the Radion in the trash yet, lol. Alot of bad news up there, but it does sound like you like the new lights?? Link to comment
twan Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Very much looking forward to see how this plays out. Sorry for your flux. Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Hope you didn't toss the Radion in the trash yet, lol. Alot of bad news up there, but it does sound like you like the new lights?? Ha ha. Everything should work itself out. I'm spoiled on LEDs and over them at the same time. Very much looking forward to see how this plays out.Sorry for your flux. Thanks, me too! Link to comment
Paigee Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Oh dear! I'm sure there will be an adjustment period for everything... It will all work itself out! Bummer about the change in the BSJ's antics... Hopefully he doesn't kill the poor plate! Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 I moved the plate to the other side of the tank. Now I'll have to worry about burying him when I magfloat the glass near the sand. I do miss the out and about BSJ, but he seems just as happy and all of a sudden industrious. I have to say that hanging this fixture (which turned out perfect) upped the sexiness of this tank about 100%. I can't help but notice how good the fixture looks over the tank. Maybe someone was onto something when they called the AI hanging kit akin to an erector set. Pictures soon! Link to comment
iball1804 Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 ... It's been... 20 minutes? Be patient you ##### Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 Sorry for the dirty tank. I didn't realize it was so bad until I took pictures. I'll be redoing the tint on the back glass the next time I pull the vortechs for cleaning. All lights on: Here are just the T5's: Cable Management... The dangling chords were pulling the fixture. A quick run to Home Depot and a quick fix... A little splash on the glass... had to wait for the halide to cool down before I could clean it. Link to comment
d'Espresso Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 very nice fixture! i want that fixture too but just gotta wait! Man your tank is incredible with candy colors! love it! Link to comment
MGDMIRAGE Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Looks pretty hawt! Very nice Med Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 Thanks D! I can't wait until everything colors back up. The photos are un doctored (someone want to show me lightroom?) lol. One nice thing... since I don't have any LED ramping, I don't have to worry about how much light there will be at what time of day as long as I take pictures during normal hours. Link to comment
basser1 Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Well Shoot..... Just when I'm making the switch from MH to LEDs', folks are switching back to them! Just goes to show sometimes you can't beat that "tried and true" technology! Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 Looks pretty hawt! Very nice Med Thanks MGDMIRAGE! Well Shoot..... Just when I'm making the switch from MH to LEDs', folks are switching back to them! Just goes to show sometimes you can't beat that "tried and true" technology! Don't get me wrong... there are a LOT of features I miss from LED. The cooler temps, the simplicity, the features... I just couldn't get the aesthetic right. I have had more coverage with 2 Radions than I have with 4 T5's and a Halide. Using the Aqua Medic Pendant and now the Geisemann both miss areas that 4 clusters of Leds covered. Pretty pictures Thanks Paigee! I'll take some better pics soon. Link to comment
Deleted User 4 Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Nice new lights med, btw what happened to your radions lights before? Link to comment
MedRed Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 Nice new lights med, btw what happened to your radions lights before? Thanks IIX... I sold them. Link to comment
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